Huggie PokerMy name is Matt Huggins, though I often go by the nickname Huggie. I started playing poker in the early 2000's coinciding with the "Chris Moneymaker era" when he won the World Series of Poker. I played a significant amount of poker at the time, reading many books on the topic, and spending the majority of each week in the Borgata poker room in Atlantic City.
After relocating to Texas in 2008, poker became inaccessible, and I played virtually no poker over the course of the subsequent 12 years. I eventually picked the game back up in 2021 after learning about the popularity of card rooms local to Texas. Along with getting back into the game, I also started my own poker vlog, tracking my progress as I go.
Over the first 10 months of playing and vlogging, I turned my initial $140 buy-in into $25,000, mostly from playing at the smallest live stakes offered. I'm now starting to take shots at some mid-stakes games and live streams, hoping to grow my poker bankroll further while continuing to learn and grow as a player.
Reading Poker Tells by Zachary Elwood helps poker players of all skill levels by teaching them how to interpret and exploit the nonverbal behaviors of their opponents. It focuses on basic body language and facial expressions in specific scenarios, explaining how to spot tells such as eye movements, posture, speech patterns, and betting patterns. For […]
Unlike other poker books that explore the mechanics of playing poker, The Poker Mindset deconstructs the mental process required to succeed at the game. It delves into the emotional aspects of remaining focused throughout individual hands, individual sessions, and ultimately one’s entire poker career. The overarching concepts covered by The Poker Mindset may at first […]
As we enter 2023, I’ve been doing some self-reflection on my poker goals, progress, and overall approach to the game that we all know and love. In short, 2022 was a humbling year for me, and I would like to share my thoughts and experiences. When I returned to poker in 2021, the skills I […]
Since the inception of poker, winning strategies have continued to evolve. And, since its heightened popularity as a result of the online poker boom in the early 2000’s, that evolution has accelerated drastically. One adaptation that has come from this evolution of poker is the down bet.
When facing opponents at the poker table, we’re often placed in the position of trying to determine whether an opponent is bluffing or is holding a legitimate hand. If we can place them on a legitimate hand, then our decision comes down to simple math: are we getting the right odds to try to improve […]
Back in December 2021, I hit my $10,000 bankroll goal, and going into 2022, I set a new bankroll goal of $25,000 for the year. As of April 20th, less than four full months into the year, I’ve achieved that goal!
Welcome to the first “Ask Huggie” column! I’ve had some viewers of my poker vlog reach out to me with questions, and while I’m still a learning poker player myself, I’m happy to discuss strategy, think through hands, and see what ideas resonate.